The White House did not respond to request for comment. But there have been examples of Trump’s “fake news” claims popping up all over the world in recent months.
• Just four days before Trump and Sulzberger met,
Egypt passed its “fake news” law, which also declares that any social media account or blog with more than 5,000 followers will be treated as a media outlet.
The law also grants Egypt’s Supreme Council power to suspend or block existing websites, impose fines on editors, and requires websites to obtain a license to operate.
Even before the law, Egypt had used “fake news” charges aggressively: On July 4, an Egyptian prosecutor charged at least eight journalists with spreading false information, https://cms.politico.com/cms/content/- the Committee to Protect Journalists, adding to at least 11 other journalists currently detained.
• In June, the Belarusian legislature
amended its media laws to allow the government to prosecute anyone suspected of spreading false information online.
• In April, authorities in Kazakhstan
raided the offices of the Kazakh Forbes Magazine and news website Ratel.kz, citing concerns about libel.
According toReporters Without Borders, as part of the raids, Kazakh authorities also blocked Ratel.kz and briefly detained four journalists.
• Russia, long known known for its crackdowns on the press, added another tool to its belt in April, passing a law that allows the government to block websites that publish defamatory information against public figures, like President Vladimir Putin, as reported
by The Moscow Times. A week ago, Russian lawmakers
proposed a law that would hold social media networks responsible for the accuracy of user comments.
• In late March, Malaysia passed a
law outlawing fake news, punishable by up to six years of jail time. A month later, a Danish citizen was
convicted of inaccurately criticizing the government on Twitter.
• Singapore, long known for suppressing free speech, is also
working to enact a fake news law.